Page 91 - SAMENA Trends - Jan-Mar 2024

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China Launches First High Orbit Internet Satellite

China launched the first of a new “high November that a first high orbit internet constellations. These projects will require
orbit” internet satellite series Thursday, satellite had been completed and would be a surge in launch rate and launch capacity
apparently to provide internet services to used to provide coverage for the entirety and could provide contracts for China’s
China and surrounding areas. A Long March of China and key areas along the “Belt commercial launch service providers. The
3B/G rocket lifted off from Xichang Satellite and Road” initiative. “In the future, China launch was China’s 10th of 2024. CASC
Launch Center in southwestern China. The Satcom will promote the construction this week revealed that China will aim to
China Aerospace Science and Technology of satellites with larger, single-satellite conduct around 100 launches this year.
Corp. (CASC) announced launch success capacity. It is expected that by the end of CASC is targeting around 70 launches,
within an hour of liftoff. CASC’s statement the “14th Five-Year Plan”, the total capacity with commercial launch entities planning
revealed the previously undisclosed of high-throughput communication roughly 30 further launches. Major
payload to be High orbit satellite internet-01 satellites will exceed 500 Gbps,” Xinhua missions include two crewed and two cargo
(Weixing Hulianwan Gaogui-01). AIrspace reported, referring to the period 2021-2025. missions to the Tiangong space station.
closure notices revealed that a Long March Notably China also has plans for two low The first half of the year will see the launch
3B/G launch was planned from Xichang for Earth orbit satellite internet constellations. of the Queqiao-2 lunar relay satellite. That
Feb. 29, indicating that a payload was likely These are the national Guowang program spacecraft will support Chang’e-6, a first-
destined for geosynchronous transfer orbit. and the Shanghai-backed G60 Starlink ever lunar far side sample return mission.
In Chinese, high orbit refers to orbits above
low Earth orbit, rather than specifically to
high Earth orbit (HEO). Initial Chinese state
media reports on the launch provided no
details of the satellite. CASC revealed only
that the satellite was developed by the China
Academy of Space Technology (CAST),
a major spacecraft maker. China already
operates a series of ChinaSat (Zhongxing)
geostationary communications satellites,
with CASC directly involved in the joint
venture. ChinaSat-26, China’s first satellite
providing more than 100 gigabits per
second (Gbps), was launched in February
last year. State media Xinhua reported in

Intelsat and CDL to Deliver Land Mobility Services Throughout India

An expanded connectivity offering from telsat 17 and Intelsat 20, both of which are expanding the capabilities of the Flex ser-
two major names in satellite communica- leading satellites for video distribution ser- vice over India to include the availability
tions – Intelsat and CDL – is said to hold vices to customers in India. In 2022, CDL of FlexMove. With FlexMove, CDL will de-
out the promise of delivering new land and Intelsat introduced Flex services into liver service for land-mobile applications,
mobility services throughout India. Intel- India, combining Intelsat satellite capacity enabling rapid response to support disas-
sat, operator of one of the world’s largest over the region, a Flex gateway in Noida ter relief operations for border security,
integrated satellite and terrestrial networks, in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, police forces, and disaster relief agencies
and India-based Cloudcast Digital Limited and CDL’s In-Flight and Maritime Connec- using vehicle-mounted and backpack solu-
(CDL), a provider of technology-led satcom tivity (IFMC) licence to deliver FlexMari- tions for communications. Additional Flex
solutions and services, have expanded sat- time service for vessels traveling in Indian services will include the high-throughput
ellite communication connectivity using territorial waters. Specifically designed for enterprise network connectivity solution
Intelsat’s FlexMove, an end-terminal, fully global commercial maritime trade routes FlexEnterprise and FlexExec, described as
managed service, to deliver land mobile FlexMaritime delivers high-speed, reliable the only network built for business aviation.
services to customers in hard-to-reach lo- connectivity that powers business at sea. These multiple approaches will enable the
cations throughout India. CDL’s technology Intelsat explains that the Flex service sim- provision of maritime, enterprise, business
services are managed by Planetcast Media plifies the management and delivery of jet, land mobile and media services to cus-
Services Limited, a teleport and video plat- broadband services and connectivity to tomers in India.
form services provider. Planetcast is also enterprise and mobility customers around
a long-time Intelsat media customer on In- the globe. Indeed, Intelsat and CDL are now

91 JANUARY-MARCH 2024